Showing Up Without Calling/Texting 🚪*knock knock*

Remember before cell phones? Like, a decade before? How would you go hang out with your friends?

Show up at their crib and knock.

Maybe they weren’t home, maybe their mom answered, maybe they answered and invited you in.

When I lived in Hungary our neighborhood was filled with kids. We would all meet up in the streets or go knock on doors, soccer ball in hand or bike in the yard.

Then for 4th and 5th grade I moved to Austin to a neighborhood where a few of my good friends lived really close.

And after homework, before it got dark, I would hop on a bike or a skateboard and ride over to their house.

I didn’t have to call or text, I just showed up.

Eventually, I ended up in North Park, San Diego and most of my friends lived close by, not in monstrous apartment complexes but in houses or a few unit apartments.

And so I’d be out cruising the neighborhood on my bike and I’d just stop by people’s houses.

If they weren’t there, I’d keep trying.

If they were, I was welcomed in and we’d kick it, sometimes for a little, sometimes for awhile.

Rarely was I turned away for any reason.

Sometimes I’d just walk in and not even knock, just open the door and yell for my homie.

Only on occasion was my friend on the toilet.

It was always such a cool, nostalgic feeling, just showing up. It took me back to simpler times.

And now in Austin, I’ve started doing the same.

Like today…

First stop was my sister Emma’s house. I have her location so I knew she was home, so I loaded up my two pups and headed her way.

I just walked into the house and knocked on her bedroom door.

“Come in.”

I let the dogs in first, which is a great surprise, especially because she was still chillin in bed.

We hung out for a good amount of time, talking talking talking…

I was about to leave to go to my other sister’s to pick up camera gear when she texted me she was justtttt leaving. Had I texted her I was coming by, she probably would have stayed a bit longer but…

You win some, you lose some.

So instead, I diverted paths and decided to stop by Elena’s house, which is super close by Emma’s.

Rang the doorbell (another cool thing to do) but she wasn’t there.

I still had to drop by Amanda’s to grab the gear and she happens to live close to my stepdad, so that was next.

His car was there and I could hear the loud bluegrass music playing but he wasn’t coming to the door.

I walked around the whole house, knocked on windows and eventually tried to call him but nothing.

Riiiiiiight as I was about to leave he came out, and we ended up hanging out for about an hour talking on front porch swing.

I was going to keep the plan going, on to another house, pretty much all afternoon, but my plans had to change when our handyman pulled the same move and just randomly showed up to fix something.

Overall, I love just showing up.

There’s no stress if they aren’t home, just on to the next.

If they’re home, chat, hang and see where it leads.

Not that many people live in houses or housing that allows for this, so unfortunately I won’t be showing up at your crib if this is you.

But if you do live accessibly, stay tuned and listen for the knock.